Floor polishing machines



Nov. 22, 1966 w. MARTH 3,286,290

FLOOR POLISHING MACHINES Filed Nov. 25, 1964 Inventor WfAWf/i MM 77/ W il WW United States Patent lice 3,286,290 7 I FLOOR POLISHING MACHINES Werner Marth, Duisburg, Germany, assignor, mesne assignments, to Vertex-Vertriebsgesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung, Aachen, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Nov. 25, 1964, Ser.'N0. 413,939 Claims priority, application Germany, Now-28,1963, St 21,379 l v 8 Claims. (Cl. 15-49) a dency to automatic driving, the tool disc of a single disc machine simultaneously acts as a drive due to the torque effect. The result of this is that the machine fundamentally tends to allow its housing to rotate or, when the housing is held firmly, for the machine to move in a particular direction i.e. forwardly, rearwardly or sideways, ac-

I mounted.

cording to the direction of rotation of the tool disc, and

in which it is, evenif only slightly, tilted.

Particular importance is attached to the fast that the handling of the machine is facilitated due to it being as extensively balanced as possible with regard to its lon tudinal axis.

A further requirement consists in that the overall height of such a machine must be kept as low as possible in order to permit polishing underneath radiators, cupboards or the like. This applies at least to the front part of the machine. These fundamental requirements are not realized in known single disc machines.

The present invention is based on the clear knowledge of these conditions and on the problem of providing a construction of a single disc floor polishing machine which avoids the disadvantages of known constructions and fulfills the above stated requirements.

According to the present invention there is provided a floor polishing machine having a single notary tool disc characterized by the feature that the electric motor is arranged substantially symmetrically and transversely relative to the direction of travel of the machine and connected by means of a V-belt reduction gear extending in the direction of travel to the worm gearing, the worm whee-l of which is centrally arranged in the housing and the worm of which is arranged transversely to the direction of travel of the machine and in front of the Wonm wheel, the tool disc being mounted directly on the driven shaft of the worm wheel and the electrical control and switching elements for the electric motor being mounted behind the latter on the lower end of ahandle grip hingeably mounted on the rear of the housing.

This construction ensures a good balance about the longitudinal axis and provides a machine which is of low over-all height and easy to handle.

Preferably the machine in accordance with the invention has a housing with a flat, low, horizontal edge surface which equals at least a third of the housing diameter and which does not extend beyond the effective diameter of the tool disc.

A further development of the invention is seen in that the motor is arrange-d in a housing trough above the tool disc, and in that a flat hood rising only slightly rearwardly tor a worm wheel, V-belt drive and electric motor is provided.

3,286,290 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 A' further feature is that on the rear surface of the housing below-the mounting of ahandle grip, two rigid transport rollers are provided in such a manner that they make contact with the floor only when the tool disc is properly tilted. I

The invention will now be described further, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which: v

FIGURE 1 is a planviewof a floor polishing machine in accordance with the invention; and

' FIGURE 2 is'a' side elevation according to FIGURE 1.

In a trough-like depression of a housing 1 a motor 2 is horizontally arranged, which drives a wonm gear 3 via a V-belt 14. The motor 2 is so arranged thatit is disposed between a driving shaft 5 and the rear end of the housing 1, on which a handle grip 7 ispivotally 9 is provided and two lgrip members 13, 13a are arranged, from which-a level-"10, a lever'll and a sliding switch 12 "may be actuated. The lever 11 serves to release a suitable stop means of any approved form which locates the angular position of the handle grip 7.

In the switch box 9 two microswitches are arranged which serve to switch the operating capacitors -8, 8a, and

via the switch 12 which acts on the microswitch, the starting capacitor is switched to start up the motor 2.

The special arrangement of motor 2 hence results in a very low over-all height of the whole machine and a favorable distribution of weight for the floor treatment.

The motor 2 and the worm bearing 3 are covered by a hood 15, which above the driven shaft of the worm has an opening, in which a liquid container 16 shown in FIGURE 2 in dotted lines may be mounted, the latter serving to supply the liquid required for treating the floor via a bore in the shaft 5 and leading to the tool disc, for example a brush. By reason of the fact that the cover hood 15 is drawn closely over the worm gearing and leaves a wide edge of the housing exposed, the floor is still satisfactorily treated even beneath lower opening heights of 12 cm. This makes it possible for the floor to be polished perfectly underneath low shop counters, radiators, etc.

In the housing 1 compartments 18 are provided which accommodate balancing weights 17, The housing 1, seen from above, has the shape of a horseshoe and the cover hood 15 mounted thereon is constructed in the shape of a flat travelling typewriter.

While preferred part structures and arrangements are disclosed herein it is to be understood that variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A floor polishing machine comprising a housing, an electric motor supported upon the housing, said motor being positioned substantially symmetrically and transversely to the direction of travel of the machine and with an output shaft thereof disposed in a [generally horizontal plane, a single rotary tool dis-c mounted for rotation by a vertical shaft, means for drivably coupling said shafts to each other, said coupling means including a drive belt disposed in a position generally parallel to the direction of travel of the machine, said coupling means further including a meshed wormand a worm Wheel, said Worm Wheel being secured to said vertical shaft andheing I centrally arranged relative to said housing, said worm being disposed transversely of the direction of machine travel, a handle, means hingeably mounting said handle to said housing adjacent said motor and remote from said Worm and worm wheel, said handle including a lower end portion adjacent said mounting means defining a chamber, and electrical control elements completely housed by said chamber.

2. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the housing has a fiat, low horizontal edge surface which amounts to at least /3 of the housing diameter and does not exceed the effective diameter of the tool disc, and said housing including a plurality of chambers generally. diameterically opposite said hand-1e for receiving balancing weights. 3. The machine as defined in claim 2 wherein two rigid transport rollers are mounted on said housing adjacent and below the mounting means mounting said handle to said housing, and said rollers having peripheral surfaces normally dispose-d in space relationship to a supporting surface whereby contact between the peripheral surfaces and the supporting surface is effected only 1 upon the machine being tilted rearwardly.

4. The machine as defined in claim 3 wherein said housing includes an upper panel, said upper panel being recessed to define a generally upwardly opening trough,

and said motor andcoupling means being positioned in a I said trough.

5. The machine as definedin claim 4 including -a hood covering said motor and said coupling means, said hood including a generally flat top wall, and said top 4 wall being inclined in an upward direction toward said motor.

6. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes an upper panel, said upper panel being recessed to definea generally upwardly opening trough, and said motor and coupling means being housed in said trough.

7. The machine as defined in claim 1 wherein said housing includes an upper panel, a portion of said upper panel being recessed to define a generally upwardly opening trough, and said motor and coupling means being housed in said trough.

8. Themachine as defined in claim 7 including a hood covering said motor and said coupling means, said hood including a generally fiat top wall, and said top wall being inclined in an upward direction toward said motor.

' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1922 Wolfe 51177 1,673,529 6/1928 Ponselle 15320 1,829,132 10/1931 Finnell 15-49 X 2,348,268 5/1944 S-mit'h' 15-49 2,541,812 2/1951 Finnell 15-50 FOREIGN PATENTS 826,255 12/1959 Great Britain. 499,279 11/ 1954 Italy. I CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

L. ROBERTS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FLOOR POLISHING MACHINE COMPRISING A HOUSING, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR SUPPORTED UPON THE HOUSING, SAID MOTOR BEING POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY SYMMETRICALLY AND TRANSVERSELY TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE MACHINE AND WITH AN OUTPUT SHAFT THEREOF DISPOSED IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY PLANE, A SINGLE ROTARY TOOL DISC MOUNTED FOR ROTATION BY A VERTICAL SHAFT, MEANS FOR DRIVABLY COUPLING SAID SHAFTS TO EACH OTHER, SAID COUPLING MEANS INCLUDING A DRIVE BELT DISPOSED IN A POSITION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE DIRECTION OF TRAVEL OF THE MACHINE, SAID COUPLING MEANS FURTHER INCLUDING A MESHED WORM AND A WORM WHEEL, SAID WORM WHEEL BEING SECURED TO SAID VERTICAL SHAFT AND BEING CENTRALLY ARRANGED RELATIVE TO SAID HOUSING, SAID WORM BEING DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF MACHINE TRAVEL, A HANDLE MEANS HINGEDLY MOUNTING SAID HANDLE TO SAID HOUSING ADJACENT SAID MOTOR AND REMOTE FROM SAID WORM AND WORM WHEEL, SAID HANDLE INCLUDING A LOWER END PORTION ADJACENT SAID MOUNTING MEANS DEFINING A CHAMBER, AND ELECTRICAL CONTROL ELEMENTS COMPLETELY HOUSED BY SAID CHAMBER. 